Billionaire Elun Musk’s Starlink partners the e-commerce giant Jumia Technologies AG to develop its satellite internet services in Africa.
Jumia to sell Starlink satellite terminals
Hisham El Gabry, the chief commercial officer of Jumia, said in an interview that the e-commerce company will start selling Starlink satellite terminals and other kits in various African countries in the coming weeks, starting with Nigeria.
“We’ve seen Starlink do these types of deals in Southeast Asia and South America, and now Africa will also have the opportunity to access the fast-speed internet services,” he said.
“This month, Nigeria will be the first country to begin selling through our sites and agents, followed by Kenya.”
Nigeria first to receive starlink satellite in Africa
Through their relationship with Jumia, Starlink will be able to sell terminals in places without official addresses or municipal maps. Nigeria was the first nation in Africa to receive Starlink services in January.
Jerrymusa.com reports that the goal of Musk’s SpaceX’s Starlink internet service is to increase internet access in remote and underserved areas of the world.
Due to Starlink satellites’ greater proximity to Earth than conventional satellites—over 60 times closer—they have lower latency and can offer services that are normally not supported by ordinary satellite internet.